Statistics Explained

Archive:Water transport services statistics - NACE Rev. 2

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This article presents an overview of statistics for water transport services in the European Union (EU), as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 50. It belongs to a set of statistical articles on 'Business economy by sector'.

Table 1: Key indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Figure 1: Sectoral analysis of water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 (¹)
(% share of sectoral total) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 2a: Sectoral analysis of key indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 2b: Sectoral analysis of key indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 3: Largest and most specialised Member States in water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 (¹) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 4a: Key indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 4b: Key indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
Table 5: Key size class indicators, water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
Figure 2: Relative importance of enterprise size classes, water transport (NACE Division 50), EU-28, 2012 (¹)
(% share of sectoral total) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
Table 6a: Employment by enterprise size class, water transport (NACE Division 50), 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
Table 6b: Value added by enterprise size class, water transport (NACE Division 50), 2012 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)

Main statistical findings

Structural profile

There were 20.9 thousand enterprises operating with water transport services (Division 50) as their main activity in the EU-28 in 2012. Together they employed 205.3 thousand persons, which was equivalent to 0.2 % of the non-financial business economy (Sections B to J and L to N and Division 95) workforce, or 1.9 % of those employed in the transportation and storage services sector (Section H). Water transport services enterprises generated EUR 21.5 billion of value added which was 0.3 % of the non-financial business economy total and 4.4% of the total for transportation and storage services.

The apparent labour productivity of the EU-28’s water transport services sector in 2012 was relatively high at EUR 105 thousand per person employed. Indeed, this marked the tenth highest level of apparent labour productivity among all of the NACE divisions covered by the non-financial business economy and was around 2.3 times as high as the non-financial business economy average of EUR 46.2 thousand per person employed or the transportation and storage services average of EUR 46.0 thousand per person employed. Water transport services had the highest level of apparent labour productivity among any of the five NACE divisions that compose the transportation and storage services sector.

Average personnel costs within the EU-28’s water transport services sector were also relatively high at EUR 50.5 thousand per employee in 2012 compared with EUR 32.4 thousand per employee for the whole of the non-financial business economy and an average of EUR 33.1 thousand per employee across transportation and storage services, where the only NACE division to record higher average personnel costs was that of air transport.

The wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio, which combines the two previous indicators and shows the extent to which value added per person employed covers average personnel costs per employee, stood at 210 % for the EU-28’s water transport services sector in 2012. This was also considerably above both the non-financial business economy average of 142.7 % and the transportation and storage services average of 140.0 % and marked the highest level for this ratio among any of the five NACE divisions within transportation and storage services.

The gross operating rate (which presents the relation between the gross operating surplus and turnover) is one measure of profitability; it stood at 10.6 % for the EU-28’s water transport services sector in 2012. This gross operating rate was between the non-financial business economy average (9.4 %) and the transportation and storage services average (12.6 %).

Sectoral analysis

The four different NACE groups that compose the water transport services sector each comprised between 3.5 and 6.0 thousand enterprises across the EU-28 in 2012. The highest number of enterprises was recorded for the sea and coastal passenger water transport subsector (Group 50.1).

The pattern was quite different for the breakdown of employment as four out of five persons in the EU-28’s water transport services sector in 2012 worked in one or other of the two sea and coastal water transport services subsectors. The largest workforce (93.6 thousand persons) was registered for sea and coastal freight water transport (Group 50.2), while the sea and coastal passenger water transport subsector accounted for a further 71.5 thousand persons. The two inland water transport services subsectors had quite similar sized workforces, as 23.0 thousand persons were employed within the inland freight water transport subsector (Group 50.4), while the smallest workforce (17.1 thousand) was registered amongst those persons engaged in inland passenger water transport services (Group 50.3).

EU-28 apparent labour productivity in 2012 was relatively high for the sea and coastal freight water transport subsector (EUR 151.0 thousand per person employed), the inland freight water transport subsector (EUR 74.0 thousand per person employed) and the sea and coastal passenger water transport subsector (EUR 70.0 thousand per person employed); these three subsectors also recorded wage-adjusted labour productivity ratios (249.0 %, 193.0 % and 156.0 %, respectively) that were above the non-financial business economy average (142.7 %). On the contrary, the inland passenger water transport sector recorded the lowest levels of both productivity ratios, below the non-financial business economy averages and far below the averages for the whole of the transport services sector. The gross operating rate for inland freight water transport (19.2 %) was two times as high as the non-financial business economy average (9.4 %), while it was close to the sectoral average (10.6 %) for the three remaining subsectors .

Country analysis

Italy had the largest workforce within the EU-28’s water transport services sector, employing 14.2 % of the total. When ranked, the Italian share was followed by a 13.4 % share in Germany, 12.8 % in the Netherlands and 10.3 % in Denmark; none of the remaining EU Member States accounted for more than the 7.7 % employment share recorded for Sweden.

In value added terms, Germany was the largest EU Member State, with EUR 6.6 billion in 2012 (30.8 % share of the EU-28’s added value), far ahead of Italy (EUR 2.7 billion) and the United Kingdom (EUR 2.5 billion). Germany had the highest value added in 2012 for three out of the four NACE groups within the water transport services sector, with the sea and coastal passenger water transport subsector— where Italy accounted for more than one quarter of the EU-28’s added value — being the only exception.

In terms of relative specialisation, as measured by the national shares of water transport services in non-financial business economy value added, Denmark was the most specialised EU Member State. Water transport services accounted for 1.7 % of non-financial business economy added value in Denmark in 2012, which was 1.4 times as high as the next highest share (1.2 %) which was recorded in Greece. Norway was also strongly specialised in water transport services, as the share of this sector in non-financial business economy value added reached 2.4 %. Table 3 shows the most specialised Member State for each of the four subsectors, although it is important to note that for several Member States data are not available for all subsectors.

Germany, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom all recorded wage-adjusted labour productivity ratios for the water transport sector that were in excess of 200.0 % in 2012; the same was true for Norway. All these countries reported that these ratios for water transport services were above national non-financial business economy averages; this was also the case for six other Member States. The German wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio for water transport services was particularly high (507.1 %) and was the highest wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio for Germany in 2012 among all non-financial business economy NACE divisions.

Size class analysis

Overall, large enterprises (employing 250 or more persons) employed 42.7 % of the EU-28’s workforce within the water transport sector in 2012, which was substantially higher than the 33.0 % average share of large enterprises within the non-financial business economy workforce. Large enterprises contributed a 32.8 % share of the value added that was generated in the EU-28’s water transport sector; this share represented an average between the relatively high share of large enterprises within the sea and coastal water transport subsectors and the relatively low share for inland water transport subsectors, where large enterprises contributed less than one tenth of sectoral value added (based on 2011 data). In value added terms, micro enterprises (employing fewer than 10 persons) contributed 30.9 % of the sectoral total in the water transport sector in 2012, far above the average share (21.0 %) of this enterprise size class within the non-financial business economy.

In Finland, large enterprises contributed 63.9 % of total value added within the water transport sector in 2012, the highest such share among the EU Member States (for which data are available); the share close to 60 % was also recorded for Italy. At the other end of the scale, there were no large water transport enterprises in the landlocked Member States of the Czech Republic and Austria, where the enterprise structure reflected the pattern within the inland water transport subsectors; equally, there were no large enterprises in the relatively small water transport sectors in Slovenia, Malta and Portugal. In terms of value added, Germany had the largest water transport sector among the Member States in 2012, and also recorded the biggest share (90.6 %) of value added from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, employing fewer than 250 persons) among the larger Member States.

Data sources and availability

The analysis presented in this article is based on the main dataset for structural business statistics (SBS) and size class data, all of which are published annually.

The main series provides information for each EU Member State as well as a number of non-member countries at a detailed level according to the activity classification NACE. Data are available for a wide range of variables.

In structural business statistics, size classes are generally defined by the number of persons employed. A limited set of the standard structural business statistics variables (for example, the number of enterprises, turnover, persons employed and value added) are analysed by size class, mostly down to the three-digit (group) level of NACE. The main size classes used in this article for presenting the results are:

  • small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): with 1 to 249 persons employed, further divided into;
    • micro enterprises: with less than 10 persons employed;
    • small enterprises: with 10 to 49 persons employed;
    • medium-sized enterprises: with 50 to 249 persons employed;
  • large enterprises: with 250 or more persons employed.

Context

This article presents an overview of statistics for the water transport services sector in the EU, as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 50. This division includes all water borne transport services, whether these are scheduled or not; it excludes own account transport. Also included are the operation of towing or pushing boats (as well as barges and rigs), excursion, cruise or sightseeing boats, ferries, water taxis and so on, as well as the rental of pleasure boats with crew for water transport (for example, for fishing cruises).

A distinction is made between transport on inland waterways as opposed to sea and coastal water transport — the deciding factor is in fact the type of vessel used. A further distinction is made between the transport of passengers and freight, such that four separate NACE groups cover the whole of this services sector, which includes:

  • sea and coastal passenger water transport (Group 50.1);
  • sea and coastal freight water transport (Group 50.2);
  • inland passenger water transport (Group 50.3);
  • inland freight water transport (Group 50.4).

The renting of pleasure boats, yachts and commercial ships or boats without crew is excluded (part of Division 77, covering the renting and leasing of goods) as are harbour and port operations and other auxiliary activities such as docking, pilotage, lighterage, vessel salvage (part of Division 52, covering warehousing and support activities for transportation).

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Database

SBS – services (sbs_serv)
Annual detailed enterprise statistics - services (sbs_na_serv)
Annual detailed enterprise statistics for services (NACE Rev. 2 H-N and S95) (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
SMEs - Annual enterprise statistics by size class - services (sbs_sc_sc)
Services by employment size class (NACE Rev. 2 H-N and S95) (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
SBS - regional data - all activities (sbs_r)
SBS data by NUTS 2 regions and NACE Rev. 2 (from 2008 onwards) (sbs_r_nuts06_r2)

Dedicated section

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

Other information

External links

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